I can honestly say it has been one of the most enjoyable days I have spent in Lebanon – well in any country come to that

Thank you for the dancing, clapping and cheering in the front row – you know who you are – you helped me get the “celtic groove” going – mubrook! -sorry about my dancing – but you started it!

It was good to relax with the group and soldiers in the afternoon – I enjoyed the craic!  (look it up) Thanks for the cake and coffee – you spoiled me – my invitation next time

What a fantastic day!  - I played soothing Celtic guitar melodies on the balcony watching the stars above Harissa until late at night – thinking of the day’s colurful events and the genuine harmonious blend of cultural activities ……lovely. My soul, musicality and enthusiasm have been recharged to the maximum – more to come – pictures and music -watch this space

I will see you all very soon

mandolin-george

What a good choice Ross!

This intriguing arts and crafts pub built in 1875 and remodelled three times spanning the art nouveau and art deco period was the first venue for our annual SPD “musical” voyage

Jammed into the corner of the door – the atmosphere, decor, food and Scottish Black Stout – was so good – I didn’t want to leave – or rather found it difficult to leave thanks to an injury sustained looking at a lovely celing in Temple in another establishment the day before while trying to photograph the interior and climb the narrow wedge end of a spiral staircase! – thats my excuse and it holds water – just!

If you are wondering what this has to do with mandolins, please bear with me ..some raw  sound files of mandolin, bodhran and guitar (plus dodgy kazoo) will be uploaded to soundcloud and you can hear them in the window on the side bar of this page on 1 April 2012

The building is reminiscent of the famous Flatiron building (left) built in New York in 1902 and some say it has a resemblance to Bittles Bar (right) in Belfast - so is it Belfast or New York next year? I wonder……….

*Crack = Craic : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craic

but this term seems to irritate Kevin Myers…..who slams the celtic tiger for its plastic renaissance…judge for yourself

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/kevin-myers/kevin-myers-the-day-of-indulgence-is-done-the-time-of-duty-has-arrived-2108890.html

for more on the victorian architect responsible for the Black Friar and other pub architecture  - see this

http://www.victorianweb.org/art/architecture/pubs/9.html

Well met – Ross, Bruce and friends – diehards one and all !

I enjoyed the Crack/Craic and Scottish black -(but not the crack of my back!)

My irish grandfather would have been proud of you!

I know I am – as always……. a bientot

Beannachtai na Feile Padraig

coming soon, sounds and images from the SPD weekend and the Mayor of London’s Parade and Paddy’s Day Bash along with health and safety concerns around the frolics in the fountains in Trafalgar Square

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredible_String_Band

The sitar was selling for £45 which was a lot of money in these days, and besides my attention was drawn to a beautiful and unusual (German I think) 16 stringed mandolin ! Four courses of quadruple sonic heaven or a tortuous task of terrible tuning – depending on your optimistic/pessimisstic outlook. It had a large mother-of-pearl butterfly on the headstock and the back was bowl shaped with fluted ribs. I have seen a few 12 stringed versions from the continent but this is the only 16 string version I have seen first hand. Pictures exist of unusual 12 and sometimes 16 stringed instruments (see below)  - but none as beautiful as this one was.

In the end, finances being what they were..

…………I left with nothing! C’est la vie!

Typing this brought back memories of laying in bed on the 37th floor of the Sheraton Hotel in Toronto when the morning news broke of John Denver’s tragic demise on 12 October 1997. I had to fly over Colorado twice that month, on the way to Utah and back to Chicago. The snow was deep and it was “touch-and-go” to make it out of Salt Lake City as most planes were diverted to Denver due to the bad weather. The lyrics of “Rocky Mountain High” were impossible to shake from my head as I gazed down on the magnificent Colorado river and snow covered peaks. Sadly, another artist lost to yet another plane accident!

Bobby McFerrin demonstrates the power of the pentatonic scale, using audience participation, at the event “Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus”, from the 2009 World Science Festival, June 12, 2009.

While researching the neuropsychology of music , I came across this video in a series of 5 where
Bobby (Don’t Worry – Be Happy) McFerrin demonstrates his “world instrument” using a pentatonic scale.
This is portable – needs no batteries – strings or tuning up.
Can be used in any culture and is easy to carry on a plane. No more worries about baggage handlers!
Where can I get one?
Is amazon doing a good deal?
The only drawback I can see is cost – transporting all those people around the world!

If you watch the others in the series, you will observe how the neuroscientists manage to reverse the pleasure-inducing dopamine surge in the brains of the audience who seem to light up when Bobby performs

another 2 videos of him improvising with no scientists around is available on the media menu above

Thank you Brian
I hope one day in the not-too-distant-future we can create some new material somehow, somewhere – but I was thinking of something a wee bit more exotic than in your “hut”- nice as it may be……….

(see INSTRUMENTS/GUITARS/EKO 12 string       - comments for further details)

Cheers

” I’m goin’ up state street – coming down main – ………..”

yes, Brian,  I’m still singin’ it – never get tired – other listeners do – but not me!

Thanks for the songs…………and fond memories…..

in addition to the above,  -The  San Francisco Bay Blues, Goin’ to German, Iowa , Switch off that song, The Tortoise Song – etc  - are all still goin’ strong

Nigel (pictured right) also runs a very useful website.

Check it out  http://www.nigelgatherer.com/Cheers Nigel – hope you still find time to update your interesting database of bands and performers. Stay in touch.

St Patrick’s Day

The usual practice of playing for 12 hours around the City of Cambridge will be followed assisted by an intricately choreographed network of music-friendly (Irish) pubs in the University area.

Hey Ross ! Where is the list, where are we going?………………see you there

(The Venue list  will be published here with “target” times   in next two days – we will be recording the event to make a CD which will be downloadable here in some shape or form

Last year we included a “St Patrick’s Day” bonus track, recorded in the Earl of Beaconsfield, on our 2010 “Xmas CD” – see Discography

SKY BAR

Two videos – the second is a small treat  for all you Snoop Dogg people – he played in Beirut when I was here  in 2009

]]> http://mandolin-george.com/2011/03/03/boogie-in-beirut/feed/ 0 http://mandolin-george.com/2010/09/13/208/ http://mandolin-george.com/2010/09/13/208/#comments Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:05:26 +0000 George http://mandolin-george.com/?p=208 Continue reading »]]> What a wonderful surprise to find Leonard Cohen playing in Piazza St. Croce, Firenze  on 1 September 2010 – here he is singing a perfect song on a perfect evening on the eve of a perfect day – Hallelujah and greetings to all the young family members who sang this with me in Yahchouch last year !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOHqjJZGbHg